Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a top U.S. envoy this week that Israel will soon name a new point person to handle stalled security talks with Syria, signaling an effort to restart negotiations that have languished for months amid leadership turnover in Jerusalem.

During a Monday meeting with U.S. special envoy to Syria Tom Barrack, Netanyahu said he would appoint a new Israeli representative “in the coming days” to oversee discussions with Damascus on a potential security arrangement, according to Channel 12, which cited senior U.S. officials familiar with the talks.

The negotiations, mediated by Washington, have been largely frozen since the resignation of Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who previously led Israel’s side of the effort. Two senior American officials told the network that Barrack pressed Netanyahu during the meeting to fill the vacancy, warning that the absence of a designated Israeli negotiator had effectively halted progress.

Netanyahu, according to the report, made clear that Dermer would not continue managing the Syria file in any capacity, even as a special envoy. He told Barrack that Washington would be updated shortly on who will assume the role.

The move comes as the Trump administration seeks to maintain momentum on a range of sensitive regional files, including efforts to reduce friction along Israel’s northern frontier and manage spillover risks from Syria’s protracted instability. U.S. officials have privately expressed frustration that internal Israeli political shifts have repeatedly disrupted continuity in talks they view as strategically important.

While the scope and substance of the Israel-Syria discussions remain closely held, the talks have focused on security arrangements rather than broader diplomatic normalization, reflecting the political constraints on both sides.

Naming a new Israeli negotiator could help reenergize the process, but U.S. officials caution that progress will depend on whether Jerusalem empowers the envoy with sufficient authority — and whether Netanyahu’s coalition politics allow for meaningful engagement with Damascus at all.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)